NEW YORK CITY — Con Ed restored power to tens of thousands of customers in the outer boroughs — but many residents in Lower Manhattan were still waiting for elecricity after days of being in the dark following Hurricane Sandy.
The utility put the lights back on for some 80,000 customers in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx.
But in Manhattan, 226,000 residents remain without power. Overall, 650,000 customers across the city were still waiting for their lights to come back on.
Con Ed announced Thursday that Lower Manhattan homes, which make up nearly half of the outages, will have their power restored by Saturday. New Yorkers without power in the outer boroughs could have to wait up to a week for get electricity back.
The latest breakdown of customers without power are: 226,000 in Manhattan, 84,000 in Queens, 35,000 in Brooklyn, 54,000 in Staten Island and 31,000 in The Bronx.
Con Ed crews still face thousands of wires down in the city and Westchester County, where more than 500 roads are closed. Downed trees and floods are also creating huge obstacles for power restoration.
The utility estimated that more than 100 buildings remain without power in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, workers have the additional burden of making sure buildings submerged in floodwater in the blackout zone don't ignite once the power is restored, sources said.
Much of Lower Manhattan below 39th Street remains in darkness, with thousands of residents without hot water or heat.
Approximately 900,000 customers in the city and Westchester initially lost power in the storm.
Customers can report downed power lines, outages, and check service restoration status at www.conEd.com. They also can call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, have your account number available, if possible — it’s also helpful to report whether neighbors also have lost power.
